Death penalty system, losing multiple levels

[Cruzel]

Firstly, I have no issue with the death punishment being -harsh- and preventing PCs from skyrocketing in levels without impunity is honestly a good thing. I'm not proposing the XP loss get lessened in the slightest. Dying needs to be a big deal, and it currently is.

I would however, propose that losing 2 levels on a single death is a bit much, and when it happens repeatedly it can get massively discouraging to want to keep re spawning a PC, feeling like you need to "grind it back" only to lose both levels again  in half the time (Or less)

To this end, I'd like to suggest we change the death system, so that you lose the first level (If you lose enough XP) and then if you would have lost enough XP to lose a second level, you cap at the minimum XP required for that level instead. The remaining XP from the penalty then gets applied to future gains, allowing the PC to keep the level and some semblance of their abilities.  The "grind" to get the XP back is still exactly the same, but much more tolerable.

Of course, if the PC were to die again, they would lose their current level, again being capped so they could only lose one. All XP penalties would stack.   IMO, the issue here isn't really the  XP, because XP is fairly easy to get. The issue is the loss of abilities. When people are at levels where they will lose enough Xp to drop down 2 if they die... They are likely losing spells of a certain level, feats, and so on. This represents a drastic change in the PC's ability to do pretty much everything.

I would like to see this power sink lessened somewhat at least, so that people are encouraged to keep trucking on and not skirt away from things just because their PC is no longer in their prime.